Anger Management
by SkinnyLittleLesbian
Summary: In which Regina needs to learn to defend herself - or Emma will do it for her. Swan Queen.
1. Chapter 1

Emma knew she had a short temper – she lost it often enough to be self-aware that the smallest stressor could set her into a violent rage. When faced with adversity, the Emma Swan Method was to take the annoyance and smash it into something else. After twenty-eight years of this, she was fairly used to the swell of rage in her belly and the immediate urge to break something that accompanied it. She did not know, however, that she was capable of nearly killing a mob of angry townspeople.

Yet there she was, her knuckles battered, bloody, and sparking with golden magic while she stood in front of a now completely cowed crowd. She shook her hands out and the front row of ashen faced people flinched back. At her feet, Whale was an unmoving lump.

"Don't you dare touch her."

"We won't." One man dropped his hoe. As a makeshift weapon, it was far from terrifying, but as a symbol of total surrender, it seemed to work. Everyone around him followed suit.

Regina remained pressed against the pillar of her house, her chest heaving and her hair swaying around her face. She'd been there since Emma's magic had blown her front path into small missiles that blasted into the crowd, and she hadn't moved – even when Emma had ripped Whale away from her and began slamming her fists into his head over and over and over again.

"Are you okay?"

She lifted her head slowly and met Emma's eerily calm gaze. "Yes."

"Go inside."

"I am fully capable-"

"Go. Inside."

Deciding that it would not be prudent to sass a woman covered in another person's blood, Regina edged back to her home, slipped inside, and shut the door. Emma turned her attention to Whale. She nudged him with her foot until he groaned. She bent near him and hissed a few threats into his ear. When he nodded sluggishly, she stood again and addressed the mob.

"The show's over. Don't come back here."

"What about Dr. Whale?" The speaker was a heavy set woman clutching a rolling pin. Her eyes were trained on him, rather than Emma.

"He'll crawl home when he's good and ready." Emma spat. "None of you are to come back here. You leave her alone. Do you understand."

One by one, each head began to nod. Emma wiped her hands on her jeans and stalked down the path. The crowd parted immediately before her and when she was gone, several ran to help Whale off the ground.

0-0-0

Emma's pen scratched angrily across the paper. She was in no mood to fill out complaint forms, but she also didn't want to face her parents. Storybrooke was a small town – they would have heard the news already and she could just picture the disappointed frown on Snow's face, and the slow shake of Charming's head. She was an adult and she didn't need their attempts at parenting.

"Well, well, well." Gold clung to the shadows for a moment, the light of the station barely reflecting his eyes. "It seems I underestimated you, dearie."

"What do you want?" Emma's attempt at a pleasant tone failed.

He slunk over, a smile splitting his face into a crude representation of good will. "Merely to check in on you. It's not often I hear of someone so good acting so bad."

"Save it." Emma barked. She kicked one ankle over the other and folded her hands over her stomach. It was an attempt at looking nonplussed, even though the impish man's presence set her on edge. He was an irritation that couldn't be removed with direct aggression, and so she chose not to deal with him at all.

"Oh, you wound me."

"Get on with it, Gold."

"Or what?" He crept closer. "You'll punch me?"

"Don't tempt me."

"You may want to apologize. He may press charges."

Emma snorted and narrowed her eyes. "He can do whatever he wants. Who's going to arrest me?"

"Ah, there's that Charming entitlement." Gold chuckled darkly. "Exactly the attitude that makes you fit to rule."

"I'm not ruling anything."

"Not right now." He seemed much too sure of himself. She wanted to wipe that damn smile off his face – her hand trembled – but he sensed her growing ire. "Well, I won't waste more of your time, Sheriff."

"Don't let the door hit you on the way out."

He paused before exiting. "Odd, don't you think?"

She hated rising to his bait, but couldn't help it. "What?"

"How angry you got when she was threatened."

"I don't have time for your games, Gold."

"Pity, that." He examined the head of his cane. "You do know what they say about magic, I would hope."

"What's that?"

"It comes with a price." His eyes darted up to her face and his tone dropped to a sinister hiss. "Are you willing to pay?"

"Is that a threat?"

"Not in the slightest. I would never threaten you." All at once he was chipper and congenial, as if he hadn't just issued the most bone-chilling words she'd heard in a good while. "A direct attack is thuggish, wouldn't you say?"

She appraised him, her knuckles aching. "Yeah, so?"

"A good threat is lodged against the one you love."

She stared at the spot he previously occupied long after he'd limped off.

0-0-0

Emma trudged up to Regina's house. She barely stepped onto the porch before the door opened and she was ushered inside. Although she didn't really care about keeping the house clean, Emma kicked her boots off to avoid incurring Regina's wrath. Emma couldn't care less about most residents and their opinion of her, but for some reason Regina was an anomaly.

"You didn't have to come."

"I said I would."

"You know the way to the dining room." Regina took the bags from Emma's hands. "Go take a seat. I'll bring the food in."

"We can just eat from the containers…" Emma trailed off when she realized Regina wasn't listening. She sighed.

Regina paused in the kitchen, her hands shaking. It was ridiculous to be so afraid of Ms. Swan, she rationalized. The woman had attacked a crowd to protect her – but sharing her space like this felt like inviting a tiger into her bedroom. Emma was a little bit wild, and even if she appeared trained – there was no getting away from her aggressive instinct. Regina let out a series of small breaths and settled her shoulders. She could handle anything Ms. Swan chose to deal out to her. There was absolutely nothing to be wary of.

0-0-0

"Will you stop flinching?" Emma finally snapped. "What's your problem?"

Regina's jaw clenched. "I am doing no such thing."

"Yeah, okay…" Emma reached out and Regina jerked away. "What's your excuse for that?"

Regina frowned. "You're imagining things."

"I've seen plenty of abused kids, Regina. I know what it looks like when someone thinks she's about to get hit."

"You know nothing about me."

"I'm here to protect you." Emma reminded her. "Not to, I don't know, beat you."

"You shouldn't be here at all. You should be at home with your doting parents."

"They can take care of themselves. Gold's threat was vague. I won't have your blood on my hands."

"No, just Whale's."

Emma's face snapped from peaceful to furious. "You're going to stand up for the scumbag that was about to end your life."

The sudden change in Emma's mood cut off the sassy remark Regina had prepared. She cleared her throat and gathered the dishes. "As you can see, there's no apparent threat to my well being tonight. You can go."

"Can we just have a fucking conversation?"

"You're angry." Regina noted. "I apologize."

"Don't say you're sorry!"

"I don't know what you want from me."

"C'mon! Where's your fight? You'd never let me walk all over you before."

"Times have changed, Ms. Swan. You'll find that I no longer hold any semblance of true power-"

"That never stopped you in the past." Emma stood and stepped up to Regina, much closer than she ought to have. Regina set the dishes down and stared at the wall. "What changed?"

"Magic here is unruly." Regina started quietly.

"I can second that."

Ignoring Emma's offering, Regina pushed forward. "Try to imagine, Ms. Swan, what will happen the next time I happen to be alone and encounter one of the more brutish members of this community."

"Uh…"

"You cannot guard me every moment of every day."

"Okay, that got dark really fast." Emma touched Regina's arm slowly, to avoid any sort of upset. "Would you want me to teach you some stuff I used to use as a bounty hunter?"

"What would be the point?"

"You'd be able to get away from an attacker."

Regina considered the offer, but shook her head. "Perhaps another night, Ms. Swan. I'm tired."

0-0-0

When Emma returned the following evening with a duffle bag of supplies, Regina wasn't given the opportunity to say no. Emma pulled on a pair of padded gloves and then guided her through a series of simple punches. Her attempts were halfhearted.

"The likelihood of you scaring a kitten is almost zero." Emma gestured for Regina to punch again. There was no oomph behind the hit and Emma dropped her hands. "Seriously?"

"I didn't ask for your help."

"But I'm giving it. So stop pouting and just try. It's like you're afraid to hit me."

"I'm not afraid."

"Good!" Emma put her hand back up and coaxed another blow. "You can't be afraid. You're the fucking queen, Regina. So hit like it."

"It hurts." Regina growled. "And your constant demands aren't of any assistance in the slightest."

Emma grabbed Regina's hands and forced them into the correct shape. "Shit. I'm not really a teacher… I guess I forget not everybody grew up scrapping."

Content to let Emma shoulder the blame, Regina nodded. "I assume you were a ruffian?"

"Safe call." Emma slipped behind her and eased her arms into a more comfortable posture.

Regina was suddenly aware of Emma's breasts pressed to her back. She tugged her lower lip between her teeth and tried to ignore the erratic flutter of her heart. When Emma's breath grazed her ear, however, all hope of maintaining a professional distance dissolved.


	2. Chapter 2

One moment Emma had her hands pressing gently on the crook of Regina's elbow – and the next she found her mouth pressed sweetly against Regina's. It was a welcome, if unexpected, change and she responded aggressively. There was a rush of warmth in Emma's middle when Regina spun and locked her hands behind the blonde's head.

There was absolute silence around them, save for the smack of saliva and then Emma's yelp when Regina tugged roughly on her hair.

"Is there something wrong with your glands?" Regina considered the exposed length of Emma's throat. The bare skin was a canvas waiting to be painted by her tongue.

"Huh?"

"Your kissing. It's awful." Emma flushed, but Regina's grasp on her hair was too strong. Instead of pulling away like she was wont to do, she was forced to stand there while the other woman cast predatory glances down her body. "Much too wet, my dear. I'm not an ice cream cone."

"Nobody's ever complained before."

"They must not have had standards." Regina's grip tightened. "Try it again, but this time save your spittle for later."

As soon as Regina's hand loosened, Emma's chin eased back down and their lips met once again. Shamed by Regina's critique, Emma did her best to keep the kiss somewhat drier and only opened her mouth wider when coaxed by Regina's tongue. Though she wanted nothing more than to claim Regina and fight the other woman for control of the situation, Emma kissed patiently – hoping for some sort of praise when they broke apart.

"Well?"

Regina's fingers traveled across Emma's lips. "You'll learn."

The frustration that was all too present in Emma's life flared up. She grabbed Regina's hips and slammed the brunette against her. For a moment, Regina looked as if she was going to flinch away from the contact, but Emma distracted her quickly with a demanding kiss. Sensing that she was losing her position of power and feeling utterly recalcitrant, Regina razed her nails down Emma's back. When she reached the hem of Emma's tank, she tugged it up. They parted long enough to discard the shirt and then collided again.

Emma pushed her roughly against the wall and she cried into Emma's mouth. The force knocked a picture of Henry down. It seemed the blonde was going to ignore her earlier lesson on kissing properly, so Regina bit down none too gently on Emma's tongue as it forced its way into her mouth. Angry and flustered, Emma nearly ripped the button off Regina's slacks in her hurry. Not soon enough, the form fitting black pants pooled around Regina's ankles, Regina's lacy black panties drifting down to rest atop them. Emma's jeans joined them, as well as Regina's blouse.

"Really, Ms. Swan, going without underwear—." Regina barely got the words out before Emma's fingers were pressing against her clit. Her ability to form real words crumbled and she was reduced to small huffing noises and unintelligible murmurs against Emma's neck.

Emma jerked her fingers in small, tight circles. Regina's mouth attached to her throat – the more Regina nipped and suckled, the faster Emma moved her fingers. When Regina's tongue probed her throbbing artery, Emma moved inward and slid one finger into Regina's cunt without warning. The sudden change made Regina's legs tremble pleasantly. She clung to Emma desperately, her arms locked around Emma's shoulders to keep herself upright.

"More."

Although she wanted to continue her teasing touch, Emma added another finger before pumping slowly. She enjoyed the way Regina rolled her hips into every thrust and cupped her hand so that the base of her palm was against Regina's now abandoned clit.

"That good enough?" She whispered.

"More." Regina's head arched up and their lips met again. She guided the kiss while Emma's attention was otherwise occupied. Her tongue dipped against Emma's.

Emma added her ring finger and Regina tightened around her, breaths coming in short panting gasps. Determined to fuck Regina thoroughly, Emma increased her intensity, although her arm was already burning from exertion. They rocked rhythmically against the wall until Regina clenched suddenly, buried her face in Emma's shoulder, and bit back a scream.

Unwilling to let Regina rest, Emma drew her fingers out. Despite a quiet plea for mercy, she resumed her earlier massage of Regina's clit and within minutes Regina was clawing at her back again.

"Not quite fair, is it?" Sure that she had Regina's rapt attention, Emma slipped her fingers into her mouth, just to get a small taste of what her fingers had sampled.

"What? Why are you stopping? I didn't give you permission to stop." Regina snapped. She was above begging, certainly, but Emma was driving her crazy.

"Don't you think I ought to be rewarded?" Emma shifted so one of Regina's thighs was pressed between her legs. She pressed down and forward; a groan rumbled out of her chest at the slight contact.

"Upstairs."

Regina pushed Emma's shoulders to put some distance between them, but Emma was having none of it. She swept Regina off the ground and into her arms. She nuzzled Regina as she walked to the stairs and even as she strained to carry them both to the second floor, she kept her mouth gentle on Regina's skin.

At the top of the stairs, Regina struggled out of her grip. Unwilling to let go completely, Emma tried to maintain her grasp and they tumbled to the hardwood. Emma winced as her knees knocked into the unforgiving surface, but her pains were soon forgotten when Regina snapped her bra off expertly. The brunette's mouth was on her nipple faster than Emma could complain about their graceless fall.

Regina moved one hand to Emma's other breast and set about kneading the pliant flesh. Emma whimpered at the steady contact and arched her back down. Regina cocked an eyebrow and raked her teeth over the pert nub. This was punishment, she decided, for Emma's rough behavior. Instead of taking care of Emma's immediate needs, she took her time flicking her tongue this way and that, and pinching her fingers until Emma slapped at her wrists.

"Get on with it." She hissed.

"Do you think you deserve it?" Regina purred.

"Yes."

Regina evaluated Emma's face – the slight frown, the arched eyebrows, and the eyes practically begging for her touch. She took one last nip and then tugged Emma down to the ground. She swung her legs over Emma's shoulders, so she was facing Emma's feet and her knees were on either side of Emma's face.

"Very well. But you also owe me the fulfillment of a promise."

Emma reached up and dug her nails into Regina's ass. She dragged the regal woman lower and her tongue darted out to catch the glistening wetness waiting for her. Regina rumbled her appreciation before leaning down Emma's body and suckling on Emma's clit. The faster her mouth moved, the more erratic Emma's ministrations became, so Regina kept a slow pace. Frustrated, Emma slapped an open palm against Regina's ass – it was louder than it was painful, and the message was conveyed accurately. Regina wrapped her hands around Emma's ankles.

Emma's head thunked against the floor as Regina dug in deeper. Regina paused until Emma lifted her head back up and shakily continued. Some pleasure was better than none, Regina resolved. She resumed her long, steady laps. Emma moaned against her core, which sent happy shivers down her spine.

"P-please." Emma panted against her. "I've been good."

Being back in a position of power was invigorating. Regina wrapped a hand around Emma's thigh and nudged the tips of two fingers into Emma, while her tongue circled around Emma's clit – never quite touching but getting closer with each pass.

"God, I'll do anything." Emma begged between her own frantic licks to Regina's center.

Pleased, both by Emma's attempts and the begging, Regina pressed the full extent of her tongue to Emma's clit and dragged slowly. After several repeats of this, Emma moaned into her – one leg jittered uncontrollably, and then Emma flopped to the ground.

Regina shifted back and down, forcing herself onto Emma's mouth. Even freshly exhausted, Emma was willing. She pushed her tongue in as deeply as she could and remained stock still – allowing Regina to bob up and down above her. Regina fondled her own chest as she rode Emma's face and was just barely able to catch Emma's name as it struggled to get off her tongue when she came.


	3. Chapter 3

There was very little that didn't hurt when Emma woke up. She was alone and naked, lying at the top of the stairs. She eased to her feet, wincing as each join cricked and creaked, and wandered down the hall towards the master bedroom. The house was dark enough that Emma could tell it wasn't quite morning and she was keen on spending the rest of her sleeping hours somewhere soft.

"There's a guest room down the hall." Regina murmured.

Emma wasn't sure how the brunette even knew she was standing in the doorway. The other woman looked like she was fast asleep and had the sheets up to her chin. Rather than follow the quiet instruction, Emma padded inside, slipped under the sheets, and rolled onto her side. Even with Emma on the other side of the bed and their backs to each other, Regina grumbled her disapproval – but they were both asleep again within moments.

0-0-0

"Emma!"

"I don't know what you want me to say."

Snow frowned. "Say that you'll come home."

"I'm home now." Emma offered.

"Say that you'll stay."

"You know I can't."

"Emma, please." Snow tentatively placed her hand on Emma's wrist. She tried to rid herself of frustration and talk sweetly, but Emma knew better. "You haven't been yourself lately. You've been… angry."

"Well, there's plenty to be angry about, huh?"

"I don't understand…"

"There's a lot going on." Emma really didn't want to get into a heart-to-heart with Snow about the new stressors running amok in her life. "I'm dealing with it in my own way, okay?"

"Henry misses you."

Using the kid was a low blow and Emma sent her a sharp look. "I'm around during the day."

"It's been three weeks, Emma. Every single night. What do you even do over there?"

"We have dinner and then go to bed."

Realizing that her strategy was failing, Snow changed topics. "Gold's not going to attack anyone."

"Nobody's seen him for a while." Emma pulled out of Snow's grasp and strode to the door. "Until we have control of this town, she's under my protection."

"She's the Evil Queen."

"She's Regina." Emma countered.

0-0-0

Regina wasn't prepared for the metaphorical dark cloud drifting above the blonde's head when Emma stomped into the foyer, threw her jacket aside, and stalked into the kitchen. The adjustment from a position of constant dominance to almost pandering to Emma's moods was difficult for Regina to make, but she followed behind and cleared her throat.

"Dinner's in the oven."

"That's fine." Emma leaned against the counter with her eyes closed and her fingers pressed to her temples.

Regina's eyes narrowed. "Did something happen?"

"Nothing."

"Come now." Regina couldn't understand how easy it was to touch Emma or how normal the practice had become. She traced her fingers down Emma's bicep. "We agreed – if you are in my home, you will leave your petty issues at the door."

"It's just…" Emma's nose crinkled and her lips drew back over her teeth. "No puedo creerlo."

"Excuse me?"

"Soy una adulta. Sí, ella es mi madre pero no tiene el derecho…" With every word, Emma's voice dropped and her hands tightened more and more.

Regina dug her nails into Emma's arm. "English, Ms. Swan."

"Puedo tomar mis propias decisiones. Sé quien eres." Emma punctuated the statements with a snarl.

"Emma." The use of her first name drew Emma's eyes to Regina's face while her mouth clacked shut. "While I appreciate a clever tongue, your drifting into Spanish is wasting my time."

"Spanish." Emma sighed. "It's the stress, it's gotta be."

"Perhaps. Care to elucidate me once again? This time in a language I can understand?"

"Yeah, sorry." Emma dipped her head.

Regina's lips met the back of Emma's shoulder. "In the right context, I wouldn't be opposed to your use."

"It is a romantic language." Emma couldn't fight the small grin that tugged on her lips. Things with Regina were so much simpler than with her parents. Despite the drastic changes in their relationship, she knew where she stood – and that small fact made Emma immeasurably more comfortable.

"Indeed. But for now, use your ugly English."

"They want me to stop coming here. You're not in danger, they don't think."

"You are an adult."

"Exactly! What are they going to do? Ground me?" Emma laughed.

"Do whatever you want." Regina huffed, ever eager to wedge whatever she could between Snow and happiness. "My door is always open."

"Even if I hog all the covers?"

"In spite of your many failings." Regina allowed.

"You're not without 'em, either." Emma joked. She snagged a grape from a nearby bowl and popped the fruit into her mouth. "You're heavy."

Regina glared. "Care to rephrase that, dear?"

"I wake up and you're like draped all over me. Do you know how hard it is to breathe?"

"I haven't the slightest inkling what you're implying." Regina turned to the oven to check the food – but her real motive was not letting Emma see her smile.

0-0-0

At 3:14 a.m., the window shattered. Emma woke abruptly, shoved Regina off her chest, and scrambled out of bed. She was incredibly glad that she'd opted to wear an oversized t-shirt to bed, rather than nothing as was their occasional habit. Regina took longer to wake and her eyes darted around the room to clear the disorientation.

"What's happening?"

"I don't know." Emma grabbed her underwear from the floor and slipped them up her legs. "I thought maybe a brick, or a baseball, or something, but there's literally nothing up here that would have caused it."

"Gold." Regina avoided the glass on the ground and grabbed a satin robe. "This has his stink all over it."

"Why'd he wait so long?" Emma inched over to the window and peered out into the early morning darkness. "What's his game?"

"To scare us."

"I'm just angry." Emma responded. "Not afraid. I'm going to find him, and I'm going to make him swallow his teeth."

"Ms. Swan. That's hardly a proper example to set for our son."

"It's a lesson every kid learns at some point – you either stick up for yourself or you get walked all over. I'd rather he was the puncher than the punchee."

"That's not a real word."

Emma shrugged, but her next word was cut off by the remaining panes of glass splintering inwards. Acting instantly and without thought, Emma tossed herself in front of Regina and took the brunt of the sharp stabs. By the time she regained her balance and could register the pain, there was a delighted chuckled teasing her ears.

"My, my!"

"Gold." Regina tried to step forward, but Emma pushed her back.

"Leave her alone." Emma had trouble standing straight; every slight motion caused a fresh wave of pain to shoot through her. There was glass, she realized, embedded in her skin and there was nothing she could do about it in the immediate future.

"Oh, because you asked so nicely." Gold sneered. "Allow me to simply poof away."

"What do you want?" Regina cut in.

"From you? Nothing." He nodded at Emma. "From our glorious savior – just her destiny."

"I already did that." Emma spat.

"The border still exists, dearie." His gaze was eerily steady, even as his hand raised and a flash of black smoke issued forth from his fingers. It wrapped around Regina, binding her arms to her midsection and her legs together. There was a small crunch when the smoke constricted and a moan of pain. "And do you know how long it's taken me to remaster my magic?"

"Stop it!"

"Break the curse." Gold hissed.

"I already did!" Emma stepped towards him, but halted when he tightened the magical grip on Regina.

"I don't have time for games. It's love, Ms. Swan. Your love for the boy wasn't what I predicted."

"Then what was I supposed to love?" There was a moment of silence, broken only by a whimper from Regina. Emma's head shifted towards Regina. "Uh, in case you haven't noticed that you're in Regina's bedroom and it's the middle of the night – And I'm here, practically naked – we've already kissed. So… I don't know what you want from us."

"Love." Gold waved his hand and Regina slid over the floor until the two women faced each other. "Nothing like a bit of panic to force feelings to the surface, hm?"

They eyed each other warily. Before either could speak, Gold clenched his fist and Regina nearly screamed. A trail of tears slipped down Regina's cheek and Emma launched herself at Gold. The man fell back, surprised by Emma's direct attack. Her fists landed on his cheeks, his mouth, his nose, his ears – anywhere that he couldn't block in time she pulverized with as much accuracy and strength as she could. He smashed her several times with his cane, but she was not to be dissuaded.

"Emma."

Emma looked up, panting madly. The magic holding Regina prisoner was gone. Emma glanced back down at Gold and winced. He was awake and one eye focused on her while the other was swollen shut. She dropped him to the ground.

"Don't come near my family."

Regina touched her elbow. "I'll call an ambulance."

For a second, Emma wanted to argue, but then the adrenaline fueled rage seeped away and she was left feeling exhausted and pained. "Fine."

"At the risk of sounding like your mother, we ought to find a healthier manner for you to release your anger."

Emma wiped at her forehead and winced as a smear of Gold's blood came off. Something did indeed need to change, she thought. She'd never stop protecting those important to her, but she could at least find a way to control herself. A line of bloody spittle dripped down Gold's chin. Yes, she determined, she'd manage her anger – somehow.


End file.
